Editorial Policy

LAST REVIEWED · JUNE 7, 2026 · EDITOR: AYAH SARSOUR, ESQ. (ILLINOIS ARDC #6336702)

The Chicago Accident Encyclopedia is a free legal reference resource on Illinois personal injury law. Our readers include accident victims, family members, students, journalists, and other attorneys looking for an accurate, plain-language explanation of the law that applies to a specific injury or incident. We exist to be useful to them. This page describes the editorial standards we hold ourselves to.

Our editorial principles

Three principles govern every entry in this encyclopedia:

• Statutory accuracy. Every legal proposition cites the specific statute, regulation, or controlling case that supports it. First references link to the official primary source. We do not paraphrase the law into something we wish it said.
• Attorney authorship and review. Every entry is written and reviewed by a licensed Illinois attorney before publication. The byline is real and verifiable through the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.
• Editorial independence. The encyclopedia is published independently of any case the editor or her affiliates may be involved in. Editorial choices are not influenced by referral arrangements, sponsorships, or advertiser interests, because there are none.

Authorship

The Chicago Accident Encyclopedia is authored and edited by Ayah Sarsour, Esq., a licensed Illinois attorney admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Illinois (ARDC #6336702). Ayah is the sole editorial voice of the encyclopedia and is the advertising-responsible attorney for this site under Illinois Rule of Professional Conduct 7.2(c).

Sister-site relationship

The Chicago Accident Encyclopedia operates alongside a sister site, Rosemont Accident Lawyer, which is a personal injury law firm in the same operating group. The encyclopedia is the educational reference resource. The firm site is where readers who decide they want professional representation can connect with a licensed Illinois trial attorney. We disclose this relationship openly. The encyclopedia's editorial content is not changed to drive cases to the sister site.

Sourcing hierarchy

We use primary legal sources first, secondary sources second, and never unverified material. The hierarchy of authority for every claim on this site:

1. Primary statutory authority. Illinois Compiled Statutes (ilga.gov), federal statutes (govinfo.gov), federal regulations (ecfr.gov).
2. Controlling case law. Illinois Supreme Court and Appellate Court (all five districts), U.S. Supreme Court, Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, Northern and Central Districts of Illinois.
3. Government and regulatory sources. Illinois Courts (illinoiscourts.gov), Illinois Department of Insurance (idoi.illinois.gov), Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois Secretary of State, FMCSA, NHTSA, NTSB.
4. Professional and academic sources. American Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, Chicago Bar Association, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, accredited law school journals, treatise-quality secondary sources.
5. Established legal publishers. Where helpful for additional context (not for primary authority).

What we don't do

The encyclopedia does not publish:

• Content sourced from anonymous online forums, social media posts of uncertain provenance, or unsourced AI-generated material
• Marketing claims dressed as legal analysis
• Specific case-value predictions or settlement guarantees
• Content that gives the impression of an attorney-client relationship with any reader
• Content that violates Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct 7.1 through 7.5 governing attorney advertising

Editorial workflow

Every published entry follows the same workflow:

1. Topic selection. Selected based on reader value and editorial coverage gaps in Illinois personal injury law, not based on which topics drive case inquiries to the sister firm.
2. Research. Conducted against primary statutory authority and controlling appellate case law.
3. Drafting. Written in plain language, with every legal claim attached to a specific source.
4. Citation verification. Every statutory citation is verified against ilga.gov. Every case citation is verified against the reported opinion. We do not rely on secondhand summaries.
5. Attorney review. Final review for legal accuracy, plain-language clarity, and Illinois Rule 7.1 through 7.5 compliance.
6. Publication. With a visible "last reviewed" date and a machine-readable dateModified timestamp in the page's structured data.

Updates and revisions

Illinois law changes. Statutes are amended. Controlling cases are decided. Regulatory interpretations evolve. Every encyclopedia entry displays a visible "last reviewed" date and is reviewed at minimum annually. High-impact statutory entries (statute of limitations, comparative fault, the Wrongful Death Act, dram shop liability) are reviewed more frequently when relevant legislation or appellate decisions warrant it.

When we materially update an entry, we update the dateModified timestamp and (where the change affects the meaning of a substantive legal statement) log the change in the entry's corrections record. See our Fact-Check and Corrections Policy for the full process.

Disclosures

How to reach us

For editorial questions, content suggestions, or to report a factual error, contact the editor through our principal office. See the Fact-Check and Corrections Policy for the formal corrections process and response timeline.

Chicago Accident Encyclopedia
Attention: Editor
8770 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Suite 1300
Chicago, IL 60631
Phone: (312) 278-3625